Cymdeithas yr Iaith have sent an open letter to each memner of Gwynedd County Council asking them to reject (at next month's meeting) the controversial plan to re-organise schools as Council leaders have made a basic error over consultation procedures.

When the motion was passed in the Scrutiny Committee, Council leaders said that statutory consultation would not commence until September next following a period of "informal" and "non-statutory" discussions to seek agreement. It has emerged that in fact the opposite is the case. The officers wish to finish statutory consultation by then and issue Statutory Closure Notices in September.The letter - signed by Cymdeithas Education Spokesperson Ffred Ffransis - explains that Council officers plan to hold between January and March just one statutory consultation meeting in each of the 33 schools earmarked for permanent closure or drastic re-organisation in the first phase. They intend to decide on the future of these 33 schools within 12 weeks - which allows less than 2 days per school - and then publish a final hit-list of schools in June.Mr Ffransis calls on councillors at next month's meeting to "vote against the mad dash to the preicpice" and rather pass an ammenment calling for a county-wide debate on the whole strategy after which officers should draw up a revised plan based on the wishes of the people. The Society is sending this letter to each councillor and meeting local campaign groups throughout the county.Letter to Councillors - bilingual (pdf)Ymateb Grŵp Ymgyrch Addysg Cymdeithas yr Iaith i ddrafft-gynllun Cyngor Sir Gwynedd Ad-drefnu Ysgolion Cynradd y Sir (pdf)DOCUMENT: Village Schools - The case for Positive Rationalisation (pdf)